ya, seems kind of weird. This week i downloaded DAoC, Shrouded Islands, Catacombs, and Trials of Ascension for free, and got a 14 day free trial, and that game has hardly anyone playing it to support the cost of the servers...

Thats just one example, it is pretty common to have many options for client downloads some of which are always free.

I think they are banking on the fact that the people who spent the money on CE don't have many friends to loan their disks too, so anyone giving buddy keys over the internet will have to pay to play.

10 Days is bare minimum to make a decision on an MMO with any depth, 7 days you won't really have a good gauge of it, so they'll end up paying the first months sub just to give it an honest evaluation.

Also, with all the increased account activity, hopfully the account servers don't have problems and people are able to cancel. ;)

Only way it cost Blizzard that much at the start is if you count all the R&D time before they settled on making the next warcraft an MMO.

But that doesn't matter since blizzard is spending big money every day on a studio that does all kinds of different things, and you couldn't just attribute its running cost to any one of their titles when they have to much going on.

Originally posted by erandur

Originally posted by Turnell

Back in the MUD days, players were able to do just that. PLayers from all over soft coded and hard coded MUD and MUSH to entirly new gamnes

I wonder if we would ever be able to do that graphically

 

Aha, like open-source games? ;) www.glest.org Great example. You just need to know a bit more than in the old days, you got to 3d model too. :)

Why couldn't they have a built in editor like Spore Creature creator? Why couldn't they have a trigger system like the one used in blizzards level editor?

Even MuDs had tools that made it easier on the end user to create content. 

Could make a whole library of props using some high level 3d modeler designed to make it easy on the end user, and have hook points you can glue on them with that can be referenced for triggers or events etc.

Its actually a really good idea, wouldn't be shocked if blizzard wasn't  working on an editor like this for Diablo III.

Ya, i recently went back to DAoC in anticipation for Origins, and classics servers are jamming. Lots of action.

Well, if their goal was to release and make enough money to finish development for the Xbox, then i think they succeeded.

And there will still be a group of PC customers who will continue to pay the monthly fees.

Think of some MMO companies like Phillip Morris, They know they are dealing with an addictive substance, and they also know what additives to give the community to ease the money out of their wallets when the game releases.

They marketed it very well, and continue to lube up the information enough to keep new addicts coming.

An addict will look at all the negative hype and hold off buying it, but with just a little spinning by their PR group with community updates, and paid conan forum staff (does exist), they can get that addict to make the plunge.

But they did open the CE buddy keys a week later then they said but they did do it. So we'll see how many people commit after the trial. Or if new floods of forum woes ensue.

Dark Age of Camelot.  If you can get the Platinum edition with all the expansions at least.

Its a little dated, but it is a cool world to explore and the pvp is awesome. They've come along way.

I have my fingers crossed. Sounds like a fun game, and the videos on Youtube have really got me wanting to play.

/prays to mmo god

Originally posted by LondonMagus

Originally posted by Shohadaku

What a pathetic add campaign.

The devs originally said the nudity was to stay "true to the story".

Instead in every turn it's just a way to cheapen the game, in attempts to draw teenage boys..

Come on funcom. Your catch to lure people in is promise of hot girls? What a lame angle to take.

Good luck and good bye.

 

Sadly I must agree!

The "Death never looked so Hot" ad is bloody awful & I resent seeing it every time my homepage opens up.

The old catch-phrase "You never forget your first beheading" was much more original & didn't rely on sexist cliches, this new ad just makes Funcom look desperate.

I agree.

Originally posted by Consensus

you choose, factions or go evil and kill whoever you wish. this means both RvR and FFA and choice!

I have to agree. That is a cool idea.      Just no artificial pvp point reward for killing people. Make it alignment based.

ie; you have to do so many things that build up your light points before you could kill someone and stay on the light side of the force. 

Just like kotor2 pretty much, but make it so dark players can't use light powers, but light players can use dark powers at the cost of losing lots of light points and potentially becomming dark.

That way the incentive is there to be good cause you have more options to use all powers.

Like, dark jedis won't be able to heal, or resurrect. Big cost for living a life as a murderer. As it should be.

Hardcore PKs would appreciate the challenge.

If they implement a FFA PvP system where people are rewarded for killing each other, with no consequences it will fail.

If they implement a Faction based, Sith vs Jedi PvP system with rewards for killing each other, it will do well.

If they implemented FFA PvP server with full loot rules, and no "PvP Point" reward, it would work. Why, you might ask? Simple. If you kill me and take all my stuff, and you killed the guy next to me and took all his stuff, now you have 2 people that will work hard to kill you and take all your stuff. The more enemies you make, the harder you make your own existence. And people are more willing to help a friendly person to get new gear, then a evil person that runs around trying to kill everyone.

But the die hard FFA PvP people that usually argue for FFA type PvP don't want to have consequences to their actions. They want to kill without penalty. Which is why Servers like DAoC's Mordred has a population of like 20 now.

P.S. This is all my opinion. If you look at a history of PvP RPGs the ones with serious consequences did better then the ones that turned a player into a infinite resource.

Guess on the German sight they alluded to the open beta being in October.

They did say they were in the final stages of Closed Beta, so pretty soon we'll all be able to test drive first MMOARPG.

The A is for Action for those who don't know. You'll have to aim in this. Sorry to those who are too old or wear thick glasses.

I think its gonna rock. Like a Jedi Academy with classes, upgrades, and levels.  Just with more strategy and thinking involved with the skill sets.....

I'll cry if this game doesn't get released in the US.... Letter of Intent, and actually publishing in the US are two different things.